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Activity 1.5 Gossamer Condor Design Brief (Optional)
Introduction
What would you do if you had a teacher that expected you to complete an assignment, but refused to tell you what the assignment was? Imagine, too, that the result of this assignment was expected to be submitted in a specific format, which was also not explained to you. Oh yes, and there was a due date. But you were not told what that was either. How could a person be expected to accomplish anything under such conditions?
Engineers need to know what problems they are addressing. They must have an idea about the degree to which the solution should be carried out, along with what the solution should do to solve the problem. The engineer must also work within constraints, such as time and budget. A design brief is a tool that is used to concisely identify the problem, solution expectations, and project constraints. The engineer will often return to the design brief throughout a design process to assess the progress and validity of his or her creative work.
Design briefs will be used throughout the Introduction to Engineering DesignTM course. Long term projects will be initiated with design briefs, and as you become a more proficient designer, you will be required to write your own. This activity is designed to guide you through the development of a design brief by observing a design project from start to finish. The information gained in this lesson will not only help you understand how to create a design brief, it will also allow you to observe the design process in action.
Equipment
The Flight of the Gossamer Condor DVD
Television or computer with projector and audio amplifier
DVD player
Procedure
In this activity, you will witness the development of the first controlled, sustainable human-powered aircraft as chronicled in the Academy Award-winning documentary, The Flight of the Gossamer Condor.
Imagine that you have traveled back to the mid 1970s. You are part of a
Introduction
What would you do if you had a teacher that expected you to complete an assignment, but refused to tell you what the assignment was? Imagine, too, that the result of this assignment was expected to be submitted in a specific format, which was also not explained to you. Oh yes, and there was a due date. But you were not told what that was either. How could a person be expected to accomplish anything under such conditions?
Engineers need to know what problems they are addressing. They must have an idea about the degree to which the solution should be carried out, along with what the solution should do to solve the problem. The engineer must also work within constraints, such as time and budget. A design brief is a tool that is used to concisely identify the problem, solution expectations, and project constraints. The engineer will often return to the design brief throughout a design process to assess the progress and validity of his or her creative work.
Design briefs will be used throughout the Introduction to Engineering DesignTM course. Long term projects will be initiated with design briefs, and as you become a more proficient designer, you will be required to write your own. This activity is designed to guide you through the development of a design brief by observing a design project from start to finish. The information gained in this lesson will not only help you understand how to create a design brief, it will also allow you to observe the design process in action.
Equipment
The Flight of the Gossamer Condor DVD
Television or computer with projector and audio amplifier
DVD player
Procedure
In this activity, you will witness the development of the first controlled, sustainable human-powered aircraft as chronicled in the Academy Award-winning documentary, The Flight of the Gossamer Condor.
Imagine that you have traveled back to the mid 1970s. You are part of a